Fixation
by Pizzachu
Summary: Mello is obsessed with Near. He wants to be better than him, but what if Near disappears altogether? Mello should be glad his rival is gone, but instead he's worried. What has happened to Near? And will Mello be able to find him before something bad happens to him?


**Author's Note: Regrettably, updates for this story will likely be slow. I have a lot of other stuff going on now, but I'll update when/if I can.**

**This chapter is told from Mello's point of view.**

* * *

_That empty desk._

_A desk that shouldn't be empty._

_There should be a kid in that desk._

_A kid with snow-white hair and eyes like ice._

_He should be sitting in that desk at the front of the room._

_But he's not there._

_So where is he?_

_That little snowman may be smart, but even he isn't smart enough to start skipping classes. Or is he?_

_If he is, surely I am too..._

_No, there's no way I can miss class, and neither can he._

_So... Where is he?_

The teacher walks down the aisle between the desks, handing out papers to the students as he goes. Finally, he comes to my desk at the back of the room.

"Good job, Mello. A few more points, and you could've had the highest score." The teacher smiles as if this is supposed to be _praise_.

_Story of my life._ I snarl and shove the paper into my notebook. _No, I'll outscore that little runt some day..._ The teacher returns to his desk with a shrug. I think he's given up convincing me of what he considers an acceptable grade. _Nothing is acceptable until I surpass him..._

_Him... Who isn't even here._

_Where is Near?_

As soon as the bell rings, I'm on my feet and out the door. There's only one thought in my mind. _Where is Near?_ He hasn't been to any classes today, and I would know. We have all the same classes. How else could I prove I'm just as good as he is?

Making my way to the dormitories, I peek through every open door. Near has to be around here somewhere...

When I get to his room, the door is shut. Of course, that's never stopped me from paying him a visit before, but now I hesitate. _What if he's not in here?_ _Then what am I supposed to do? Where else could he be?_

_Now I'm just being stupid. Of course Near's in his room. He must have just missed class because he was sick or something. He's probably sleeping..._

_But if so... Then why am I so worried?_

_Near being sick is no big deal. That kid's always sick..._

Before my thoughts an begin their circular reasoning all over again, I push the door open and stumble into the room in front of me.

It's empty.

Near's not here.

His room looks just as it would if he had woke up and gone to class this morning...

_So why hadn't he?_

_Where had he gone instead?_

_Where-_

And that's when I notice the lamp on the floor. It looks as if it was knocked from the desk. The light bulb has shattered, scattering delicate shards all over the carpet.

And the window's open.

_That's odd._

_Near would never open that window. To even look out it would probably make him sick. No, Near would never open that window._

_Maybe I was right to be worried after all..._

I run across the room to the window, not even noticing as pieces of glass crunch beneath my feet. There's a fire escape only a few feet over from the window here, and from there it's only two flights to the ground.

_But Near wouldn't go out this way... Would he?_

_No, he'd say it was too dangerous or that it would look like he was up to something. Which, of course, he never was. Goody two-shoes that he was - is!_

_Something is wrong. Something is definitely wrong._

I pull myself up on the edge of the window and lean out. Just a short jump, and I'm clinging to the fire escape. When I get to the ground, I see nothing unusual. The alley is deserted, inhabited only by rats and trash cans.

I race to the end of the alley and look out on an equally empty street. There's no one around.

_Where could that kid have gone?!_

There's something lying on the sidewalk about a block away. Hurrying towards the only thing that seems even slightly out of place, I can feel my heart racing._ What is going on here?!_

The object is a shoe - Near's shoe.

At this... My mind goes blank.

_Near's...shoe...lying out on the sidewalk...after he came down the fire escape...and smashed his lamp...after skipping classes..._

_Something just doesn't add up..._

_What could have driven him to do this? Or had someone else done it?_

_No... Near would never have run away... School means too much to him... He wouldn't leave..._

_Would he?_

_No._

_Someone had to have taken him._

_But why?_

_Where?_

_Who?!_

_I have to find Near... _

_I don't know what's happened, but he's either lost his mind, or even worse someone's stolen him! I have to go after him!_

_Don't worry , Near! I'll find you! I swear it..._


End file.
